Currently, online shopping and ecommerce environments suffer from a variety of shortcomings. For example, when a consumer searches for a product (e.g., a handbag) the search results may return a large number of results (i.e., 20 to 30 items) for which the consumer must then browse through to make their decision. Typically, such results are displayed in a single webpage display, and so the consumer is often inundated with too much information (or products) with many variables and attributes, and no real way to make a valid decision on which product to purchase. For example, price may be the deciding factor, material type, quality of material, color, brand, etc. There are a number of factors that are to be considered when making a purchasing decision, and unfortunately current ecommerce systems fail to provide any adequate solutions.
Furthermore, in current ecommerce systems there is no way to highlight important attributes automatically, adequately score products, and collaborate with other consumers and peers in making a product selections. These and other shortcomings in the current ecommerce systems indicate that improvements in the art are needed.